South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT said it held the "Future Defense Innovation and Bridging Technology Development Program Results Presentation" on June 25 at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, co-hosted with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.

The Future Defense Innovation program develops basic and core defense technologies by harnessing innovation from private research and development. It will receive 19.2 billion won from 2019 to 2027. The bridging program links results from previously developed national R&D projects to core technologies for weapons systems. It totals 42.4 billion won from 2024 to 2028.

The event was arranged in June, the month of remembrance and veterans, to review top results from the two programs and to discuss, together with public, private and military participants, directions for defense R&D to prepare for future battlefields.

Twelve projects selected as outstanding tasks were presented. They included a generative artificial intelligence system to create defense technical information to improve operating rates for key weapons systems (FortyTwoMaru), a high-power EMP gun to neutralize drone swarms (Seoul National University) and a biomimetic artificial compound eye drone camera system (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology).

Presentations then followed, in order, on an early adoption strategy for advanced science and technology from the Army policy office, ways to apply private basic technologies to defense from KIST's Security Technology Project Group, and plans to advance future defense bridging technologies from the Defense Rapid Acquisition Technology Research Institute.

During a discussion, public, private and military participants exchanged views on applying private advanced technologies such as AI, quantum and space to defense, and on ways to introduce them quickly.

Oh Dae-hyun (오대현), director general for future strategic technology policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said demand for defense R&D was increasing in both quality and quantity to enter the ranks of the world's four leading arms industries. He said the ministry would strengthen cooperation so it can steer broad participation from industry, academia and research toward defense, along with challenging infrastructure, and link results.

Yoon Chang-moon (윤창문), director general of the Defense Technology Development and Protection Bureau at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, said he would strengthen defense technology competitiveness by closely linking military and private technologies based on cooperation results between the two agencies. He said he would not spare policy support so private innovative technologies can actively flow into the defense sector.